Fifty per cent of the UAE population use Facebook while Bahrain had 36 per cent and Qatar 30 per cent penetration of the social media, said a report.

Furthermore, the GCC countries, with the exception of Saudi Arabia, primarily prefer to use English on Facebook, most likely because of their large English-speaking expatriate population, added the report conducted and published recently by Dubai School of Government (DSG).

The UAE also showed the highest number of Twitter users in the GCC region with more than 200,000 users, according to report.

What is very significant however is that most information on Twitter is generated by a minority, while the majority uses Twitter to consume news as more of a newsfeed than a micro blog.

The report is prompting companies and organisations to adapt to social media as a branding and communications platform in the digital age, said the organisers of an upcoming digital marketing event in Dubai.

Click 5.0 – the Digital marketing Event for the Middle East will take place from June 26 to 29 at Arjaan by Rotana – Dubai.

Leading corporations in the region will showcase their social media success stories including Aramex, BBC and Rotana Media Group.

Aramex has early on utilised social media in their communication and are one of the most successful companies in the Middle East on communication through social media. It will also present an exclusive case study at the event.

Organised by leading event producer IQPC, Click 5.0 will feature Donald Steel, chief communications advisor, BBC, UK and Alexander McNabb, group account director, Spot On Pr, UAE and senior marketing communication directors from Expedia, National Bonds, Ericsson, Qtel, GoNabit, Saudi Telecom, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, flydubai and Jacky's Electronics. – TradeArabia News Service